To San Diego residents Shawn Miles and Carol Hayden, there’s no doubt in their minds that the local nonprofit PAWS — Pets Are Wonderful Support — plays an essential role in their lives. Without PAWS, both say, there is no way they would be able to keep and feed their beloved pets, a key element in their support system. Both benefit from PAWS San Diego County’s pet food distribution, veterinary voucher programs and pet transportation services. It’s the only program of its kind in the region and one of only a handful nationwide. Founded in 1993 as PAWS North County, the organization’s original mission was to assist HIV/AIDS patients in supporting and retaining their pets. Over time the organization expanded its mission to include low-income elderly, the disabled and chronically ill. It extended its services to the entire county after the PAWS San Diego, with a similar mission, shut its doors in 2001. Since then the organization, renamed PAWS San Diego County and now headquartered on Euclid Avenue in central San Diego, with a satellite office serving North County, has focused on growing its financial base, food donations and other programs and volunteer corps so it can extend its services to more needy clients countywide. With only executive director Lisa Saneda and two part-timers on staff, PAWS is totally dependent on about 50 to 60 volunteers to operate and maintain its pet food collection and distribution network and other services for a clientele that now numbers more than 525 individuals and about 1,000 pets. Another 140 to 150 are on the four-month waiting list. To qualify for services, clients, whether elderly, disabled or chronically ill, must have a monthly income of $1,200 or less. About half, Saneda reports, live on less than $900 a month, which makes the pet food deliveries and veterinary vouchers a critical necessity. Some clients use only the monthly pet food deliveries and others only the $200 annual veterinary care vouchers. Many clients draw on the organization’s full range of services, which include transportation to veterinary and grooming appointments. PAWS relies on private contributions of pet food to supply their clients’ monthly deliveries. PAWS volunteers regularly pick up donated broken bags of kibble and damaged cans from local stores such as Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. One PAWS volunteer in East County, Saneda explains, picks up the nonsaleable food two or three times a week and delivers it to their warehouse whenever her car is full. Other pet food comes in from food drives conducted by schools and businesses, while many individuals bring in regular food donations. Some people contribute $20 worth of cat food each month. “One of our challenges is finding food that’s a better nutritional value. Some of our clients have animals who are allergic to corn (a main ingredient in commercial pet food) or need grain-free diets. Some dogs need a duck and potato diet. We have only a small budget for special-needs diets,” Saneda explains. As the demand for services rises in tough economic times, sometimes PAWS has had to cut the amount of food distributed to their clients. Although deliveries are intended only as a supplement, in reality for many clients they serve as the pets’ only food source, which makes reductions emotionally wrenching for both staff and recipients. They also have to budget in excess of $10,000 a year to purchase cat litter, which never spoils and is rarely donated. Each cat food delivery comes with a box of scoopable cat litter. Saneda, who joined PAWS about a year ago and has a background in arts and nonprofit programming and management, including a stint at the San Diego Humane Society, is focusing now on building the organization’s capacity, expanding its support and stabilizing its infrastructure so it can continue to grow. PAWS’ main source of income is its annual Fiesta del PAWS, a June garden party fund-raiser. Food delivery volunteers keep their regular monthly routes and monitor their clients’ well-being. “They develop a relationship with a lot of clients and keep an eye out for changes,” Saneda explains. In July, the organization was rocked when a volunteer driver arrived with a delivery of cat food at the home of Barbara Moore, a client who had been featured on the organization’s website, to discover police and crime scene tape surrounding her complex. Her boyfriend had murdered her in an outburst of domestic violence. Her two beloved cats were taken in by a neighbor. To Saneda, her staff and volunteers and the volunteer board, PAWS’ mission is clear. “To me, it’s about providing the best possible services for our clients,” she says.